There's a great free improvisation scene in France - you've got to check out Marc Ducret if you've not heard him before, he's a fascinating fretless guitarist. Also worth checking out are Bruno Chevillion, Louis Sclavis, Henri Texier, Vincent Courtois, and others - there are so many great improv musicians in France right now. I've got a new free improv trio with a french Fretless guitarist called Franck Vigroux and a percussionist called Jerome Cury (album out end of the year, MP3s available in the next month hopefully)...

Other faves include anything with David Torn on (often not as out as Derek Bailey et al, but still a serious improvisor) and a solo guitarist from LA called Andre LaFosse who has opened for me in concert a couple of times - check out his solo guitar downloads from http://www.altruistmusic.com - he's great!

Steve: do you know if any of these guys have websites with free downloads available? I'm a try-before-I-buy kinda guy with music (but not with basses )

Christopher: I haven't even a microscopic fraction of an idea where to begin on the Braxton discography. I like how the Cook/Morton Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD mentioned that there is more Braxton currently availabe than Coltrane and Ornette Coleman put together. Any ideas?

The other day, I was checking out some of Charles Ives' non-symphonic works..."The Gong On THe Hook & Ladder or Fireman's Parade On Main Street"(how's that for a title?!) & "Hallowe'en".
Both pieces are approx 2 minutes long...
Both sound very much like the sorta thing all the Free Jazzers do...(though Ive's pieces are using 'symphonic' instruments)
Here's the kicker-
Ives' stuff is composed & written out. Pretty darn cool(& I can understand why each piece is a mere 2 minutes...I can't imagine writing out such madness).